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A Note from the Director

Last year was filled with a number of significant milestones; from generating clean energy with our wood chip boiler, to being awarded Innovator of the Year by the City of Rochester Hills. We're excited about starting the New Year and the business opportunities for OU INC and its clients! With this being our inaugural newsletter, our objective is to reach out to business associates and friends of OU INC to let them know about, client successes, opportunities, and various events hosted at OU INC. The OU INC team wishes our friends and colleagues a Happy New Year and thank you for the support over the past year of success. We look forward to working with you again this year!

Pictured: Amy Butler

News

Innovator of the Year Award

On December 13, OU INC was presented with the Innovator of the Year award by the City of Rochester Mayor's Business Council.

The award is presented annually to an individual or company that showcases their ability to become market leaders in creating new technology, products, or services.

"We are extremely proud of our accomplishments during the past year. OU INC has come a long way in both its services and supporting new clients. This award recognizes the hard work that has been put forth by our dedicated team members," Director Amy Butler said.

Pictured: Amy Butler and Mayor Bryan Barnett with the award.

Night of Networking

OU INC, along with the School of Engineering and Computer Science and the Alumni Association, hosted its first "Night of Networking" event on November 8th

With over 75 people in attendance, the evening offered a great opportunity for participants to network with business partners, faculty, and various community leaders. It also provided an opportunity to learn about the resources and support capabilities that OU INC offers.

Please be sure to keep a lookout for future events being offered at OU INC in the months to come.

Pictured: Guests at the Night of Networking event

Client Spotlights

AutoBike

AutoBike, based in Troy, Michigan has been hard at work getting their product ready for consumers.

According to the company's CEO, Sean Simpson, "AutoBike is designing and developing automatic shifting bicycles that deliver the best riding experience for casual and recreational bike riders! They have put "brains" on the bike so that the rider can simply focus on enjoying the ride, not shifting gears or being in the wrong gear. The system is adaptable so that individual riders can maximize their comfort and fun on the bicycle."

As of December 1, the team now has a new home for both their office and manufacturing area, which is located at 185 Elmwood Dr. in Troy.

"Anyone who is interested in stopping by is welcome to check out the place and take the AutoBike for a spin" Simpson said.

Interested buyers have the opportunity to pre-order their bike by visiting their website at www.evolvethebike.com.

Purchasers can expect to see AutoBike for sale in early 2013.

Photo and video courtesy of AutoBike

iTrack

OU INC based navigation and tracking company, iTrack LLC, is taking the entertainment world by storm. In late 2011, Sight and Sound Theaters of Lancaster, Penn. and Branson, Mo. purchased a TNS-400 Tracking and Navigation System from iTrack.

Their system enables theaters to autonomously control and continually move stage set pieces with out any human intervention throughout the entire show. This capability has not been technically available to the entertainment industry until now.

Jerry Atkinson, CEO of iTrack is looking forward to seeing the impact that the TNS-400 and other itrack products will have on the world of entertainment.

"This is a great opportunity to adapt this technology and provide the entertainment industry with a solution that will enhance their production capabilities and help inspire the creative minds of our entertainment industry partners," Atkinson said.

Amy Butler, Executive Director of OU INC, is looking forward to seeing even more of iTrack's success.

"This is a great example of how we create an environment that grows and excels innovation. iTrack is using solutions developed for one industry, but can also meet the needs and create new possibilities for other industry sectors," Butler said.Besides increasing productivity during filming, the TNS-400 allows theaters to reduce spending in areas that offer technology improvements.

For more information, visit their website atwww.itrack-llc.com.

Pictured: iTrack's TNS-400

cureLauncher

cureLauncher, based out of Bloomfield Hills, Michigan and OU INC business accelerator client has been recognized in national publications such as NewsStatesman and Pharma Technology Focus in recent weeks.

The articles express the success of cureLauncher through its global outreach to "Find. Fund. Cure."

cureLauncher solves the clinical trial enrollment problem. It connects patients to trials and new treatments to funding. Discover YOUR power to fight cancer.

"The OU INC business accelerator is proud to be a part of such a revolutionary movement. cureLauncher will enable and assist cancer victims with getting the treatment they need. We are looking forward to seeing where cureLauncher takes its new ideas," Amy Butler, Executive Director of OU INC, said.

Events

SBIR/STTR Training (approaching)

OU INC will be hosting SBIR/STTR training from 9:00 am until 12:00 pm on January 30. The course will be covering the ideas behind SBIR/STTR and will allow attendees to determine if they would be interested in making a proposal.

The course will be led by BBC Principal Consultant, Andrea Johanson, Ph.D. Johanson has 18 years of experience in leading international research projects, as well as extensive knowledge in assisting companies with compiling portfolios and reporting to federal funding agencies about the companies that she handled.

The event itself will be presented by BBC, which is a company specializing in commercialization services.

Staff Introductions

Lauren Corbett

Lauren Corbett is a senior at Oakland University and is set to graduate in April 2013. Lauren will be graduating with a major in communications and a minor in studio art with a focus in graphic design. She plans to seek a profession in marketing, corporate branding, and design.

At her current position at OU INC as the communications and marketing intern, Lauren has taken on the role of social media management, advertising and website management. During her time at OU INC, Lauren hopes to accomplish a complete update to the webpage involving content and design, as well as enhancing the current social media platforms and generating an interactive following, as well as continuing the new re-branding effort of OU INC.

Lauren enjoys running and has just completed her first half marathon this September. Another hobby of hers is photography, which she enjoys for recreation.

Sarah Blanchette

While studying journalism, studio art photography, and Arabic as a sophomore at OU, Sarah is excited to have become part of the OU INC family. Sarah is responsible for writing OU INC's monthly newsletter, updating company photographs, writing press releases, and helping to organize events.

Sarah hopes to create a solid monthly newsletter during her time at OU INC. She is also looking forward to networking opportunities with clients, as well as having the ability to help OU INC flourish in all of its endeavors.

During her free time, Sarah enjoys managing her business, SarahBlanchettePhotography, travelling, reading, and writing.

She is also a Staff Reporter for the Oakland Post, a research intern on the Honors College Council, the Student Communications Intern for the School of Engineering and Computer Science, the webmaster for Alpha Lambda Delta, and the webmaster and editor for The Echo, which is an academic journal set in the Honors College at OU.